AES, the saga continues: No more power plant!
by Deirdre West, SBPC Board-member
*update - since this post the AES power plant has been decommissioned, Daily Breeze, the future of the land is still unclear. For more history about the land and the efforts to restore the wetlands click here
Over a decade ago, the California Water Resources Board adopted a “Once-Through Cooling Policy” (OTC) to phase out the use of coastal and estuarine water for cooling power plants. The OTC method of cooling power plants is known to result in the significant degradation of water and air quality and directly cause the death of marine life, including endangered species. A specific compliance schedule was set for the OTC policy, and AES (a power operator) stated they would comply by shutting down operations of AES Redondo Beach by December 31, 2020. As a result, in 2019, AES sold the Redondo Beach site to a developer (a conglomeration of 17 LLCs), who in turn, offered to sell 25 acres of the site to the City of Redondo Beach for development of a coastal park, which would include the restoration of almost seven acres of rare coastal wetlands. The City of Redondo Beach (with assistance from the SBPC) received almost $6 million in grants toward this effort and the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors voted unanimously to establish an Enhanced Infrastructure Financing District (EIFD) for the AES site, which would bring in tens of millions of dollars in property tax revenue for development and maintenance of the park. Sounds like a fairy tale – doesn’t it? But not so fast, bigger and easier money came to town and the park deal was unceremoniously withdrawn by the developer and the lobbying and back-slapping to keep this plant belching along came out in full force. In 2020, the California Water Board extended operation of the AES power plant for one year (STRONG public opposition reduced this extension from a proposed three years to one year), but when AES and the 17 LLCs that now own the plant are receiving at least $40 million per year to just have it sit there in “case of emergency” they are not going to give up this easy money without a fight. An additional three year extension of the plant is being heard before the California Water Board in the coming months (date not yet identified) and this will be out last chance to shut this plant down for good. The SBPC is deep in the fight, but we need your help. The only weapon we have is the power of the people – as oil money and influential connections are a very powerful foe.
It is important to note that the power outages that are posing as justification for this extension were more a result of poor grid management than capacity issues (AES does now provide power to Redondo Beach). For example, during a record heat wave across the entire southwest in 2020, California was selling power to other states! Seeing the irony in this situation, California recently stopped writing contracts that lock them into exporting power during a state-wide energy crisis, but have still failed to comply with their own OTC Policy. If the Water Board cannot shut down the very LAST power source that is ever called upon (because AES Redondo is a 68-year-old relic and the price of operation is very high), is this not just a colossal failure of management on their part? The AES/developer campaign, however, presents a completely different story. It includes the false claims that without the power from this ancient power plant (that takes 18 to 24 hours to even start up) the state of California will have power blackouts; they have their paid lobbyists, “experts” and attorneys on full assault – testifying, working the phones and streaming the zoom calls; they have random, always unidentified people, like the “I’m just a regular guy from South Orange County” or the “I’m a concerned citizen worried about my power” calling into esoteric Statewide Advisory Committee on Cooling water Intake Structures (SACCWIS) on a Thursday afternoon because I guess they just had nothing better to do (not to mention, that they were required to register to speak before noon the previous day)….? So, why is the developer going along with it? It’s called back-end compensation. As long as the developer plays along, he’s making money - the longer the better.
So here we are yet again, at a soon but yet unannounced date, the California Water Resources Board will consider the March 24th SACCWIS recommendation to extend operation of AES Redondo Beach until December 2023. Our only hope in stopping this is continued pressure from our representatives, non-profit organizations and the public to finally shut down this ocean-sucking, greenhouse-gas-spewing, air polluting eyesore located along the most heavily populated region of the entire southern California coastline. Never forget that the AES site is zoned as a public park with only conditional use for utilities, and thanks to Measure DD (which SBPC supported) ANY development on this site will need to be approved by voters. The developer, essentially, purchased a polluted park and we must not let them forget that.
In the upcoming months, the SBPC will be sending out email notifications of how you can participate in the movement to close down this power plant for good. In will require extraordinary pressure for the California Water Board to consider voting against the proposed extension because the power interests are entrenched and powerful. Please consider adding your voice to the chorus of opposition. It is only when this plant is fully phased out will we be able to restore the native wetlands at the AES site, build a beautiful coastal park and associated amenities and finally, after 100 years of industrialization, heal the land.
Below: Photos of AES in Redondo Beach
